This invention pertains to a method and system for teaching a physical skill. More specifically, the invention pertains to a method and apparatus wherein the positioning and body motions of an instructor are to be learned by a student.
Physical skills or manual tasks may be defined as tasks where the human being inputs some kind of controlled physical effort and receives feedback information as to the result of the controlled effort. Included within such tasks are those performed with the arms, hands and legs. Also included are tasks performed with the aid of machines, tools or instruments to provide mechanical advantage, accuracy, speed, force or stability. Such tasks are found in every day life, in sports and in work. Examples of such tasks in sports includes shooting basketballs, shooting arrows, hitting tennis balls and swinging golf clubs to hit golf balls.
Many attempts have been made to develop systems and methods which permit the teaching or training of physical skills and manual tasks. The teaching of golf is representative of the type of physical skill in which it is extremely difficult for students to learn even from one having an exceptionally good skill set. More specifically, learning to perfect a golf swing is a challenge for most golfers even under the training of the most experienced golf professionals. All methods of effective golf training developed to date utilize some method of feedback so that the student can visualize how to make changes in his or her golf swing to more closely approximate a desired golf swing.
One approach which has been developed in the past utilizes video technology. In the video systems which have been developed to date, a video image of a professional golfer is shown to the student. The student after viewing the professional's golf swing, then attempts to mimic the swing.
In some systems, the student's swing is also videotaped and shown back to the student so that he can compare his/her swing to that of the professional. In other systems, the student's swing is viewed at the same time as the video of the professional by use of split screen video displays or, in some instances, by superimposing the image of the student on the outline of the professional.
In still other systems, a computer animation of the professional's swing is made, or a computer animation of a golf swing, which is a composite swing formed from the swings of many professionals, is used. In the instance where a computer animation is used, the student sees either a simple computer model of a golfer or the outline of a golfer and is instructed to again mimic the swing viewed. One significant disadvantage to utilizing prior computer animation models is that the models have typically been two-dimensional images. The use of such two-dimensional images have provided inadequate visual guidance and/or feedback to the student.
In most systems, the student receives feedback by viewing a video made of his/her golf swing. However, in many of these systems, the feedback is provided after the student has made his/her swing, i.e., the feedback is delayed in time. In other systems, the feedback is provided in real time by projecting the student's video image at the same time that the instructional video is played.
Right-handed students are most likely taught by right-handed instructors. By right-handed it is meant that the swing of the golf club in hitting the golf ball is from the player's right to the player's left. When the instructor faces the student so that the student can observe the instructor, all the movements of the instructor are in the opposite direction that the student must move to mimic the instructor's movements. The mental interpretation that a student must make in viewing the instructor's movements and translating the viewed movements into the student's opposite direction movements impairs the learning process.
There are several problems to be considered in the presentation of performance information to a student or trainee. The student can receive and use only a limited amount of information in a given time period. The inclusion of distraction information in the learning process impedes the student's ability to absorb the skills being taught by forcing the student to use mental resources which might otherwise be used in learning the skills.
Learning a physical skill or manual task such as a golf swing requires the student to simultaneously absorb many different elements of the instructor's stance and movements before during and at the close of the skill or task.
It is desirable to provide a method and apparatus which will make the learning of physical skills, including athletic skills, more efficient and easier.
The primary application of the present invention is improvement in the speed and accuracy of learning physical skills and manual tasks and improvement in the level and consistency of the performance obtained.